Begin with the destination and the record you need
SCORM, xAPI and cmi5 address different parts of learning delivery. SCORM combines packaged content and LMS runtime communication. xAPI describes learning events and how they reach a learning record store. cmi5 defines an LMS-oriented use of xAPI, including launch and session rules. None is a video codec.
Choose the delivery from the learning task: where the lesson launches, how the learner is identified and what the organization needs to record. Martius provides these as distinct delivery profiles so an ordinary video export does not pretend to be an LMS course.
SCORM fits a packaged lesson launched by an LMS
Use SCORM when the learning platform expects a course package and the required progress or assessment can be represented by that profile. Select SCORM 1.2 or the specified SCORM 2004 edition supported by the destination.
The course player sends learning state to the LMS. Define the completion and assessment meaning, then inspect the actual learner report. Packaging the video is one step; launch, saved state and resume need their own checks.
xAPI fits an activity that records events in an LRS
Use an xAPI profile when the requirement is a defined stream of learning events. A player or activity emits statements for the agreed actions, and an authorized LRS stores them. Actor identity, activity identifiers, event meaning and course revision must be defined together.
For a video lesson, decide what an event actually establishes. A playback or completion event is evidence of the configured activity; it is not automatically a measure of skill. Choose xAPI 1.0.3 or 2.0 according to the configured destination profile and keep that version explicit.
cmi5 fits an LMS-launched xAPI course
Use cmi5 when the LMS should import a course structure, launch an assignable unit, authorize the session and interpret the required records. Its session rules supply a defined LMS course context that standalone xAPI does not create by itself.
Martius keeps the cmi5 Quartz delivery separate from standalone xAPI profiles. Quartz references xAPI 1.0.3; choosing an xAPI 2.0 destination does not automatically make it a Quartz-compatible cmi5 course. Confirm the complete LMS and LRS combination.
Ask five questions before choosing the profile
First decide where the learner launches the content. Then identify the destination’s accepted standard and version. Define learner identity, completion and assessment, and the record the course owner needs to inspect. Finally decide who administers the course and how content updates affect existing enrollments.
Example: an internal orientation inside an existing LMS may use a configured SCORM package. A separate activity with agreed event tracking can use an xAPI profile. An LMS that launches and reports cmi5 activities can use the Quartz route. These examples describe delivery choices, not universal compatibility claims.
- Launch: LMS course, website player or another activity
- Protocol: specific standard, version and target profile
- Identity: learner and registration for the activity
- Rules: progress, completion, passing and resume
- Ownership: reports, retention, updates and administration
Test the behavior the chosen route promises
For SCORM, test import, learner launch, saving, reopening and the LMS report. For xAPI, check the authorized event submission and the resulting LRS records. For cmi5, also test LMS launch, session lifecycle and the configured completion or success behavior.
Use test identities and keep the delivery revision with the results. Exercise interruptions and rejected actions as well as the happy path. Correctly stored events must still have the intended meaning; successful transport is not proof of a useful learning design.
Keep local content and learner records distinct
The original documents, media and project remain local in Martius. Exported lesson packages also stay local until you approve a destination action. A learner later running the course can create LMS or LRS records under the destination’s policy; those records are a separate data flow.
Keep the approved content revision, exported artifact and learning configuration together. When a procedure changes, review whether prior completion can still apply. The standard transports and organizes the record; your content owner defines what the lesson and assessment mean.
Questions about this workflow
Is xAPI a newer version of SCORM?
It serves a different role. SCORM supplies LMS course packaging and runtime behavior; xAPI represents learning events and communication with an LRS. Choose the route that fits the destination and record you need.
Is every xAPI course a cmi5 course?
No. cmi5 adds defined LMS course structure, launch, authorization, session and reporting behavior to xAPI. Standalone event tracking does not establish those requirements.
Can I use xAPI 2.0 with cmi5 Quartz?
Quartz references xAPI 1.0.3. Martius treats Quartz delivery and standalone xAPI 2.0 profiles separately; do not infer compatibility from the xAPI name alone.
Is an LRS the same as an LMS?
An LRS stores learning records. An LMS commonly manages course access, enrollment, launching and reports. A system can combine both, but an LRS endpoint alone does not provide an LMS course workflow.